It is odd to imagine any band beginning their album with a haunting chain gang chorus introduction, it is perhaps a concept lost on many bands in the scene nowadays. But for the Birthday Boys and their latest album Bad Blood, it is an idea that works and fits their sound to a T. 

The aforementioned song is the introduction track “Making Room For Grace” on Bad Blood. Grandoise vocals, punchy delivery, and gritty guitar work exemplify their appeal to all different kinds of listeners, making this track a great start for anybody looking to find their next favorite band.

Painted all over Bad Blood are many different shades of a band. Whether it be showing off their screamo chops in “The Drug”, or their pop-punk-ish charm of standout track “Let It Die” which echoes the statement “I can’t wait to get in your head”, until it becomes a reality for the listener. Although someone could jump to conclusions and say that the Birthday Boys don’t know who they are just yet while bouncing through genres, it just as easily shows their versatility and ability to stay the same band while seamlessly searching through sounds and hitting hard each time.

The time when the Birthday Boys really shine is when they slow it down a bit as well though, songs like “Baby Come Home” – while the title implies a bad Buckcherry b-side – is a song that remains on the somber side of the scale, while still rocking just as much as heavier tracks like “Vigorous Fiction”. Also the final track “Barfight”, which is easily one of the best tracks to end on, seeing as how it ends on the same haunting note the album began with. Chilling lyrics and a haunting melody that drifts through until the final echoes of the track bring the album to a close. 

Bad Blood is an album that is rough, gritty, while being a great time. Birthday Boys bring with them a very candid honesty that makes them a joy to listen to. Knowing when to rock and when to slow it down is very important in music, and it seems as though this band has the ability to know how to pace themselves.